The Psychological Effects of Racism
The psychological effects of racism varies among different groups. In the United States, we know that racism was present in our country since the birth of our nation. From the moment the first African slaves stepped foot on the land of North America, they were already seen as cattle, brought here to work and create profit, and the ideology that they were less human in comparison to their white masters and kidnappers swept over the colonies for generations to come.
From research, scientists have found that from the beginning of recorded human existence, racism has been prevalent in different ways across many cultures around the world. The treatment that people with darker skin have received has proven to be negative in most countries where European colonization destroyed most of the indigenous peoples and their customs.
Because of European colonization, the standards for human worth, beauty, intelligence, and success has been based almost solely on the color of one’s skin around the world. This applies to both men and women. The Europeans deemed white skin to be the purest, the most beautiful, and the most worthy. It was learned across nations that darker skin was evil and ugly, and because colonial ideals set out to push their beliefs onto the people that they colonized, this was engrained into the brains of those they wiped out. It then spread, to almost every corner of our world.
As this idea spread, racism and colorism became the identity of the American nation. It also occurs in the Latino community and the Asian community. Black women in America and in other places, are still seen as the least attractive group of women. In Asian countries like Korea, Japan, and China, the whiter your skin is, the more beautiful you are. You are seen as ugly or not very attractive if your skin is tan or brown. This is why skin bleaching and whitening cosmetic products have become a multi-billion-dollar industry in the West-African and Asian markets.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Psychology Professor Mikhail Lyubansky teaches Psychology of Race and Ethnicity and his areas of specialization are Race Relations and Restorative Justice. UIUC Department of Linguistics Lecturer Jin Kim teaches English as a Second Language to mainly international students.
You can watch our story of their expertise about race relations and colorism in my video package by clicking "Watch Here" at the top.
The psychological effects of racism varies among different groups. In the United States, we know that racism was present in our country since the birth of our nation. From the moment the first African slaves stepped foot on the land of North America, they were already seen as cattle, brought here to work and create profit, and the ideology that they were less human in comparison to their white masters and kidnappers swept over the colonies for generations to come.
From research, scientists have found that from the beginning of recorded human existence, racism has been prevalent in different ways across many cultures around the world. The treatment that people with darker skin have received has proven to be negative in most countries where European colonization destroyed most of the indigenous peoples and their customs.
Because of European colonization, the standards for human worth, beauty, intelligence, and success has been based almost solely on the color of one’s skin around the world. This applies to both men and women. The Europeans deemed white skin to be the purest, the most beautiful, and the most worthy. It was learned across nations that darker skin was evil and ugly, and because colonial ideals set out to push their beliefs onto the people that they colonized, this was engrained into the brains of those they wiped out. It then spread, to almost every corner of our world.
As this idea spread, racism and colorism became the identity of the American nation. It also occurs in the Latino community and the Asian community. Black women in America and in other places, are still seen as the least attractive group of women. In Asian countries like Korea, Japan, and China, the whiter your skin is, the more beautiful you are. You are seen as ugly or not very attractive if your skin is tan or brown. This is why skin bleaching and whitening cosmetic products have become a multi-billion-dollar industry in the West-African and Asian markets.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Psychology Professor Mikhail Lyubansky teaches Psychology of Race and Ethnicity and his areas of specialization are Race Relations and Restorative Justice. UIUC Department of Linguistics Lecturer Jin Kim teaches English as a Second Language to mainly international students.
You can watch our story of their expertise about race relations and colorism in my video package by clicking "Watch Here" at the top.